Spotlight: Wherever, Whenever by C. J. Burright

Paranormal Romance

Date Published: 07-30-2024

Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing

Sometimes the only way to forget the ghosts of the past is to face the curse of love head on.

Artist Vi Keller made a holy vow to never return to her quirky hometown of Devils Hollow. But when the sister she left behind pleads for help during the busy Halloween season, Vi can’t say no. Even if it means a month of watching her ex-BFF Max loving someone new…and braving the darkness awaiting her return.

Max has fantasized about Vi every day since she disappeared. Some of those dreams revolve around revenge, but when Vi shows up at his historic bed and breakfast, his thoughts take a steamier turn. She may still own his heart, but he rebuilt life without her and doesn’t need a blonde bombshell with tempting artwork skin to wreck him again.

When Vi and Max are forced to partner up during the seasonal festivities, it’s just like old times, resurrecting a desire that never died. But happily-ever-afters in Devils Hollow are paid in blood and bones. Missing pets, tourist attractions turning sinister, and shadows stalking the lake point to Vi’s worst fear—the spirit that failed to destroy her once has neither forgiven nor forgotten. If Max and Vi can’t untangle the tragic past of a local urban legend, they’ll lose more than a second chance at love.

Are you into romance with a healthy dose of banter, slow burn, best-friends-to-lovers, and second chances with a supernatural twist? Scroll up and grab your copy of Wherever, Whenever today!

Excerpt

“I remember everything.” He lowered his voice to a soft rumble and eased nearer to her ear, taking wicked pleasure in her shiver. “How the electricity would make the hair on your neck stand up straight. How you’d jump every time the thunder rolled, even though you expected it. How you’d use it as an excuse to grab my very muscled, incredibly sexy biceps.”

She snorted and took another sip of her whiskey. “You wish.”

“Oh, sweeting.” He gently hooked a stray tendril of hair behind her ear, the barest touch on her skin, and she went still. “You have no idea all the things I’ve wished for these last five years.”

Vi anchored her focus on the amber whiskey gleaming in her glass. Her slender throat worked, and she turned her head slightly his way, as if reluctantly pulled by invisible strings. Slowly, her eyelashes lifted, and her gaze found his, dark and deep in the gloom. Her lips parted, as if she couldn’t decide whether to respond with words or a kiss.

Words weren’t what he wanted right now, no matter how stupid the choice or any later regret. He’d dreamed of tasting those lips again, to determine if they were as soft and sweet as he remembered, to exorcise the memory from his soul. Max refused to move, his pulse drumming faster as she lifted her chin. Her mouth hovered less than an inch from his, and her breath brushed his chin, warm and velvet.

Do it, Vi. Kiss me. Show me you haven’t forgotten what we had.

Holding her gaze, he slid a hand from her shoulder to her spine and tugged her even closer.

Vi had to either straddle his leg or expose their hiding place. She planted a palm on his chest for balance. Her thighs pressed on each side of his, a warm, welcome trap. Shivers tripped up his back as her breath fanned his shoulder. He inhaled her faint, floral scent. Raw desire flooded his entire body, yearning a corrosive need barely contained.

Despite the chilled glass against his back, the air had become very warm, the whiskey hot in his blood. Vi’s pulse caused the thin strap of her camisole to vibrate ever so slightly, but she didn’t struggle to escape or withdraw. When her lips parted, the promise of an invitation, it was all he could do not to surrender all dignity and attack like a starved beast.

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About the Author

Once upon a time, a girl with flat hobbit feet dreamed of adventures in the woods with an elven hero, fighting off orcs and saving magical rings. All grown up now, C.J. Burright resides in Oregon (at least she got the trees). While she faces her duties at the law office day job, she avoids writing legal thrillers and instead turns toward romance—contemporary (sometimes with a supernatural flair), paranormal or fantasy. With a 5th Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, it’s no surprise she prefers feisty heroines who aren’t afraid to jump into the fight. Her slivers of spare time are spent working out, gardening, playing the latest Assassin’s Creed, and rooting on the Seattle Mariners, always with music. She shares a house with her husband (not elven, alas, but a fine alternative) and a devoted cat herd while missing her daughter from afar. C. J. is represented by Brittany Booker of The Booker Albert Literary Agency.

Connect:

Website: https://cjburright.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063763958065

Twitter: @CJBurright

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Spotlight: The Boss + The Maid = Chemistry by Louise Bay

Release Date: August 8 

AVAILABLE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED

A brand new enemies to lovers age gap steamy standalone romance.

A grumpy, reclusive New York billionaire meets his match in the maid who makes his

bed (in more ways than one).

When an older guy with a dirty grin and an expensive suit flirts with me from the next barstool, I don’t realize I’m about to have a one-night stand with the man I desperately want to work for.

After a night that leaves my world (and body) shaken, I start my summer job housekeeping in a five-star hotel even though I’m determined to kickstart my career in tech. As I dust and polish the Park Suite, in walks Mr. Dirty Grin—now with an icy glare.

Why is the man from last night who was so charming (and good with his tongue) so furious this morning? As I piece together the puzzle, I discover the guest in the Park Suite is none other than Ben Fort, the reclusive tech mogul I want to work for.

Ben has kept his identity hidden for years and he wants to know how I figured him out overnight.

As he questions me, I don’t waste time telling him he’s a (super-hot) grump who needs to lighten up—and give me a job.

I don’t want to sleep my way to the top, and he doesn’t trust me. But neither of us can resist the sizzling sparks that fly every time I fluff his pillows.

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Meet Louise Bay

International, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author, Louise Bay writes contemporary romance novels that make you laugh - the kind she likes to read.

Ruined by the bonk-busters of the eighties, Louise was inspired by Judith Krantz and Jackie Collins, but wants to be Emily Henry when she grows up.

Louise loves the rain, RHOBH, London, days when she doesn't have to wear make-up, hanging out with her kid, elephants and champagne (not necessarily in that order).

She loves to hear from readers so get in touch!

Keep up with Louise Bay and subscribe to her newsletter: https://louisebay.com/newsletter/

To learn more about Louise Bay& her books, visit here!

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Cover Reveal: The Art of Falling in Love with Your Grumpy Neighbor by Anne Kemp

Publication date: September 24th 2024
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

All’s fair in love and war…ESPECIALLY with your grumpy, smoking hot, former football-superstar neighbor.

Bex: Expecting solitude from my new home shouldn’t be the exception. But when you move next door to the grumpiest human on earth, what’s a girl to do? Austin Porter may be a former football star, but this man does not have an attitude of gratitude.

When the strip of land that divides our properties becomes a literal bone of contention, we finally find something we can both agree on: war. Only, I don’t want to fight. I want to show this man that sometimes, the greatest comebacks happen once you’re off the field.

Austin: Was I defined by the game I played? Probably. Judging by the darkness I seem to be most comfortable sinking into, the memory of days now gone by is a weight that threatens to drown my soul. Then she moves in next door.

I never expected a woman like Bex to appear and get me so fired up, but I can see a beacon of light for the first time in a long time. She’s everything I’m not––warm, caring, full of life. And I’m pretty sure I’m falling in love with her.

The Art of Falling in Love with Your Grumpy Neighbor is a closed door, enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine rom com with no third act break up. Like all of my books, there are super swoony (steamy adjacent!) kissing moments, tension, and plenty of chemistry in this small town romance!

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About the Author

Anne Kemp is a bestselling author of romantic comedies. She loves reading (and she does it ridiculously fast, too!), gluten-free baking (because everyone needs a hobby that makes them crazy), and finding time to binge-watch her favorite shows. She grew up in Maryland but made Los Angeles her home until she encountered her own real-life meet-cute at a friend's wedding where she ended up married to one of the groomsmen. For real.

Anne now lives on the Kapiti Coast in New Zealand, and even though she was married at Mt. Doom, no…she doesn’t have a Hobbit. However, she and her husband do have a terrier named George Clooney and when she’s not writing, she’s usually with them taking a long walk on the river by their home.

Connect:

https://www.annekemp.com/

https://www.tiktok.com/@annekempauthor

https://www.instagram.com/annekempauthor/

https://www.facebook.com/missannekemp/

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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5805725.Anne_Kemp

Spotlight: The Boyfriend Bet by Chris Cannon

Genre: Snarky Sweet YA RomCom

Kissing? Check. Detention? Check. A bet that might lead to love or epic humiliation? Double Check.

Zoe Cain knows Grant Evertide is way out of her league. So naturally, she kisses him. Out of spite. Not only is Grant her brother's number-one nemesis, but he has zero interest in being tied down to one girl. She's shocked—and secretly thrilled— when they start spending more time together. Non-exclusively, of course, but that doesn't mean Zoe can't change his mind, one PDA and after-school detention at a time.

Zoe's brother claims Grant is trying to make her his "Ringer," an oh-so-charming tradition where a popular guy dates a non-popular girl until he hooks up with her, then dumps her. Zoe threatens to neuter Grant with hedge clippers if he's lying but Grant swears he isn't trying to trick her. Still, that doesn't mean Grant is the commitment type—even if winning a bet is on the line.

This book contains multiple PDAs, after-school detentions, and gambling on the side. Warning: betting on a boyfriend is bad for your health.

Buy on Amazon

Boomerang Boyfriend

The Dating Debate

99% Faking It

About the Author

Chris Cannon is a speech therapist by day and the award-winning author of the Going Down In Flames series, the Boyfriend Chronicles, the Dating Dilemma series, and The Crossroads Chronicles by night. She lives in Southern Illinois with her husband and several furry beasts. 

She believes coffee is the Elixir of Life. Most evenings after work, you can find her sipping coffee while writing fire-breathing urban fantasies,sweet snarky romantic comedies, or paranormal cozy mysteries. You can find her online at www.chriscannonauthor.com.

Connect:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2vXeeaJ

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8285334.Chris_Cannon

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ccannonauthor

Web: http://www.chriscannonauthor.com/

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Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/chris-cannon

Spotlight: Memories of the Lost by Barbara O'Neal

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (July 30, 2024)

Hardcover: 285 pages

An unsuspecting artist uncovers her late mother’s secrets and unravels her own hidden past in a beguiling novel by the USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids.

Months after her mother passes away, artist Tillie Morrisey sees a painting in a gallery that leaves her inexplicably lightheaded and unsteady. When a handsome stranger comes to her aid, their connection is so immediate it seems fated, though Liam is only visiting for a few days.

Working on her own art has always been a refuge, but after discovering a document among her mother’s belongings that suggests Tillie’s life has been a lie, she begins to suffer from a series of fugue states, with memories surfacing that she isn’t even sure are her own. As her confusion and grief mount, and prompted by a lead on the painting that started it all, Tillie heads to a seaside village in England. There, she hopes to discover the source of her uncanny inspirations, sort out her feelings about Liam, and unravel truths that her mother kept hidden for decades.

The fluidity of memory, empowering strength of character, beauty of nature, and love of family braid together in this artful tapestry of a novel.

Excerpt

Liam folded his hands on the table, beautiful hands, long fingers with well-tended nails, only marred by the cluster of gemstone bracelets running up his wrist. Again, she wished he weren’t such a surfer-hippie dude. “Working on your energies?” she asked, pointing.

“Ah, yeah, why not? My sister gave them to me when I started traveling. Reckoned it couldn’t hurt.” He took a breath, fingered the beads. “It’s a challenging trip.”

“Are you a model?”

“What?” He laughed. “No!”

“Actor? Dancer? Professional surfer?”

“I’m pleased you see me as a man of substance.”

It was Tillie’s turn to laugh. “Sorry. You’re just so . . .”

He raised his eyebrows, waiting.

She was going to say pretty, but that wasn’t it. Light skated along the bridge of his nose, his cheekbones, and she thought of Tam Lin, the knight stolen away by fairies. Following some instinct she’d learned to trust, she asked, “Would you maybe have time to let me sketch you?”

“You’re an artist, too?”

She nodded. “I have so much work, I wasn’t even going to come tonight.”

“I’m glad you did.”

She let the words skate around in her veins, awakening sleepy blood. “Me, too.”

“I have time tomorrow.” He paused. “Or tonight, if you’d rather.”

An iridescent possibility rose between them. “I would,” she said. “Rather. Tonight.”

The rest of their meal had no weight. Liam ate his sandwich, and they dashed into the rain and miraculously caught a passing cab. Tillie gave the address and fell back in the humid car. His knee and hers touched. Neither of them moved. She smelled nutmeg on him, or maybe it was just his skin.

“I hope your coat is warm,” she said. “It’s going to be cold.” She almost said in the morning, but was that what she meant? Why else would she be inviting him back to her apartment to ostensibly sketch him at 10:00 p.m. on a rainy night?

He took her hand and turned it over. “Shall I read your palm?”

His skin was warm, warmer than it should have been. Light from the street flashed over his hair, showed the faint shimmer of beard on his jaw, the growth of a day. She thought, I will remember this.

“Sure.”

He spread her fingers open, stroked the center of her hand. Tillie was acutely aware of each brush of his fingers. “Long lifeline,” he commented, then: “Hmm. A break early. Did you suffer an illness as a child?”

Was he really reading her palm? “I did have a fall when I was three or four.”

“You don’t know which one?”

Answering that honestly would mean getting into things about her mother that she wasn’t interested in expressing to a stranger. To deflect, she tugged the streak of white in the hair over her temple. “That’s when I got this.”

“Head injury?”

She nodded. “I was out for several days, they say. I had to learn to speak all over again.”

His attention sharpened, a contrast to his mild comment. “Interesting.” He bent his head. “And this”—he slid his finger from the pad beneath her middle finger to the heart of her palm—“might be the breakup with the man who misses you.”

The man who misses you. The words gave her a strange ache. “He does.”

“Do you miss him, too?”

She raised her eyes. Shook her head.

Liam bent in and kissed her. He held her hand, and his other arm moved behind her shoulders, giving her a sense of protection. The touch of their mouths created a sense of light, and a fragrance of forest enveloped them. Tillie leaned in as if enchanted, pulled by something she couldn’t name—

A bird cawed in her head. The porch from the painting emerged clearly on the screen of her imagination. Trees stood sentry around it, and the bird hopped down to the railing. A giant cat raced up the steps, and the bird flew away—

The lurking headache abruptly bloomed, throbbed across the bridge of her nose, and she felt suddenly sick to her stomach. Pulling away, she breathed in, then out. “Sorry,” she whispered, trying to calm the nausea. “It’s just—”

His hand fell between her shoulder blades.

Embarrassment mingled with the sudden, hard arrival of a full-blown migraine. She was trying not to barf in the cab when they pulled up in front of her building. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t think I can—”

“Let me help you inside. That’s all.”

They ran toward the foyer in the deluge. Her feet and shins were splashed with water, her hair soaked before they reached the stoop. She paused for a moment in the foyer, thinking wildly that she should check the mail, but the blindness had spread over one eye, and she didn’t even know if she could climb the four flights to her apartment. Sinking down on the stairs, she rested her head on her forearms.

“Do you have some medication to take?” he asked. “Can I get you something?”

She raised her head. His crown was surrounded with shimmering lights, like a halo. “It’s four flights.”

“C’mon. Lean on me.”

Honestly, she was so grateful for his presence, she didn’t think about anything else. Taking it slow, she held on to the railing. A whisper of regret moved through her—she wouldn’t see him again after all of this.

In a way, that made it easier. She didn’t ordinarily take men to her apartment. It was too personal, too revealing, but without his help, she’d be sitting at the bottom of the stairs with her head on her knees.

Her loft, which sounded fancy but wasn’t in the slightest, occupied most of the top floor. It was barely finished and cold as the tundra. The only reason she’d landed there was because she’d inherited it from a friend who had moved to Los Angeles. It was two thousand square feet of open space and windows. To counter the cold, she’d scattered space heaters around and grouped the living areas together. The rest was open for easels and supplies and stacks of canvases. Organized chaos. Liam looked at the painting closest to them, a nude female nursing a baby wolf, her hair wild and full of vines. He said nothing, but it made Tillie feel vulnerable. Too much of her was visible in this room. Far too much for a stranger to see.

When he said gently, “Let’s get you settled,” she nodded and took a step toward her bedroom—

And fainted dead away, like some Victorian heroine.

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About the Author

Barbara O’Neal is the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen novels of women’s fiction, including the #1 Amazon Charts bestseller When We Believed in Mermaids, This Place of Wonder, and The Starfish Sisters. Her award-winning books have been published in more than two dozen countries. She lives on the coast of Oregon with her husband, a British endurance athlete who vows he’ll never lose his accent. To learn more about Barbara and her works, visit www.barbaraoneal.com.

Spotlight: Scooping Up Scandal by Emmie Lyn

Little Dog Diner Book 7 

Genre: Cozy Mystery 

Turning thirty can be murder!

When a body is discovered next to the Little Dog Diner on her milestone birthday, Dani Mackenzie finds herself scooping up a scandal instead of cutting cake.

The prime suspect is the new owner of the Blueberry Bay Grapevine, but the victim’s stepbrother and ex-girlfriend also have means, motive, and opportunity.

With this trio of suspects, it will take a good nose to uncover whodunnit. At least Dani has her best friend—her Jack Russell, Pip—at her side to help sniff out the killer! But in the meantime, her kick-off to her thirties is turning into more of an upside-down cake than a celebration as she uncovers money, a business scandal, and thwarted love at the core of this crime.

It will take the victim’s black Labrador and finding a winning lottery ticket to solve this mystery, but Dani never throws in the towel. Will she and Pip once again use their experience at solving mysteries to bring justice to Misty Harbor, Maine, or will they be caught in the crosshairs of the killer?

Excerpt

My day off wasn’t supposed to start with a phone call startling me half to death. But it did.

I fumbled on the nightstand to silence my ringing phone even before my sleep-deprived brain surfaced through the fog. 

“Hello?” I mumbled. The time blinked 5:30 on my watch. Really? Who was making calls at that hour? If I’d been fully awake, I would have checked the caller ID. But you know how it is. I reacted before thinking when caught by surprise. Or when aroused from a deep sleep. Oh, well. Too late to hang up and go back to dreamland. Because an unintelligible whisper came through the phone. Creepy.

Awake now and heart pounding from the unknown, I scooched up against the headboard until I was sitting up straight. Was this a crank call before the sun was barely above Maine’s Blueberry Bay? So much for sleeping in on the one day my Little Dog Diner was closed.

Pip, my Jack Russell terrier, looked at me with her head cocked as if asking what was going on? I had no more of a clue than she did.

I heard my name coming through the phone. “Dani? Dani Mackenzie?” The caller seemed confused as if she wasn’t sure she had the right number.

At first, I didn’t recognize the voice. 

“Uh-huh?” I said, wishing I’d let it go to voicemail.

With my husband Luke out of town for a few days, I knew this wasn’t his deep, rumbling tone, so I was ready to hang up when I realized he wasn’t calling with some kind of emergency. 

But then I heard, “It’s Cam. Camilla Carter?” Finally, a name to go with the mystery caller. “The Blueberry Bay Grapevine? I hope I didn’t wake you,” she said low.

Why the whisper, I wondered. Was she afraid she’d wake the rest of the neighborhood? 

Just then, Pip pushed her head under my arm and knocked the phone loose. When I grabbed it, I hit the speaker button, absently scratching under her ear. Of course, Pip leaned in for more love from me, at the same time Cam’s breathing startled me, amplified now and suddenly sounding like a buzzsaw. 

“I’m awake,” I said, hearing the annoyance in my voice.

“I’m really sorry, Dani.” Cam paused. “I didn’t know who else to call.”

Fair enough, I thought, but her apology did little to soothe my irritation. 

“What’s wrong, Cam?” I asked, hoping it was something simple like she’d locked herself out of her office and hoped I had a spare key. I did unless she’d changed the locks. Cam had just bought the weekly Grapevine newspaper from my grandmother, Rose Mackenzie. She’d moved into an apartment over the paper in a building next door to my diner and hadn’t made many friends yet. So, this early morning phone call made sense. 

But when she hadn’t broken the silence on her end of the phone, I sat up a bit straighter, curious. “Cam? Are you okay?”

She whispered, “It looks like someone’s trying to break into your diner.”

That got my attention. “Call the police, Cam. I’m on my way.” 

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About the Author 

Emmie Lyn grew up in a small town in New England, much like the towns where her female characters live—scenic, quaint and filled with colorful characters. She loves to create mysteries with twists and unexpected turns that draw readers in and capture their imagination.

Emmie lives in rural Massachusetts with her husband, a rescue terrier, and a black cat with a bad attitude. She shares twelve acres with a wide variety of wildlife including deer, bunnies, turkeys, and many songbirds. When she’s not busy thinking of ways to kill off a character (for a book, of course!) she enjoys a cup of tea and chocolate in her flower garden, hiking, or spending time near the ocean.

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